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Problem of Hearing – Information sheet
Some – or all – of this information should be presented on the national website/discussion forum
where you pose the Problem of the Month. Provide links to the teacher guide and student
handout(s) (word-files), and possible other material of your choice. Also provide a link to the
international discussion forum.
Abstract
Even mild or moderate hearing loss can have significant social
effects on individuals and is therefore an important health
concern. Hearing impairments may be caused by problems in
different parts of the ear. Audiologists carry out a series of
tests to diagnose the source and extent of any hearing loss. In
this lesson (or lessons) students will:
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Design a simple hearing test;
Use their test to construct their own definition
of what is meant by 'normal' hearing;
Critically compare their designs and results with others;
Learn about different types of hearing loss and how they are diagnosed;
Understand some of the work carried out by an audiologist;
Act in the role of an audiologist to diagnose common hearing problems from
audiograms
Discipline: Science (Biology, Physics) and Engineering
Duration: Two lessons
Target Group: Lower Secondary Education
Age range: 12-14, but can be adapted other age groups (see Potential Adjustments below)
Inquiry Learning:
Students are set a problem with multiple possible solutions and then work collaboratively on their
own group design with minimal teacher intervention.
Inquiry Learning Dimensions
 Exploring situations
 Planning Investigations
 Experimenting systematically
 Interpreting and evaluating
 Communicating results
The mascil project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreement no 320 693
© 2014 Centre for Research In Mathematics Education University of Nottingham
World of Work Dimensions
The initial problem relates to the work of an audiologist. Later students take the role of an
audiologist to interpret samples of audiograms
 Context: The work of an audiologist
 Role: Designer and then audiologist.
 Related profession: Audiology
Material available
 A teacher guide including aims, context and task descriptions with links to YouTube videos:
o www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GA9gEh1fLs
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u9Ja4wyUaU
 A Power Point presentation for teacher use
 Two student handouts: Handout 1 and Handout 2
Suggestion of questions to be discussed amongst teachers on the web-site
 How were questioning techniques used to help students develop their designs?
 What types of question were most effective?
 How did teachers allow students to develop their own ideas whilst helping them improve
their designs?
Potential adjustments to other age groups
The task is adaptable for use with students with prior knowledge of sound or may be used to
introduce the topic. Therefore it could be used with younger students with some teacher guidance
regarding designs.
Potential adjustments to local situation
No adjustment is needed to use the actual task except teachers may wish to check whether the
summary data for hearing loss is similar in their own country (see “Context” in the Teacher Guide and
page 3 in the Power Point presentation). Any following discussion of careers in audiology may need
adapting to the national context. Note that the videos are English.
The mascil project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological
development and demonstration under grant agreement no 320 693
© 2014 Centre for Research In Mathematics Education University of Nottingham